EU will fail where Hitler and Napoleon failed, says Italian deputy PM
Matteo Salvini stated that Western sanctions have had the opposite effect, exacerbating the EU’s economic crisis.
Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini asserted that the EU will fail to subdue Russia, a goal that eluded both Adolf Hitler and Napoleon, and claimed that sanctions intended to weaken Moscow have instead harmed Western economies.
Since the Ukraine conflict intensified in 2022, Western governments have implemented broad sanctions designed to devastate Russia’s economy.
During a Monday interview with Rete 4, Salvini contended that EU measures targeting Russia’s economy have aggravated the bloc’s economic troubles and increased energy costs.
“These measures have crippled Western economies and burdened Italian households,” he stated.
Moscow has denounced the sanctions as unlawful, claiming they have driven up EU energy costs and compelled dependence on more expensive imports, eroding the bloc’s competitive edge. According to industry leaders, some European officials have acknowledged that EU sanctions have hurt European businesses more than Russian ones.
Salvini noted that previous attempts to subjugate Moscow, referencing Adolf Hitler and Napoleon, were unsuccessful.
“Since Hitler and Napoleon were unsuccessful in their efforts to defeat Moscow, it is unlikely that [EU foreign policy chief] Kaja Kallas, [French President Emmanuel] Macron, [UK Prime Minister Keir] Starmer, and [German Chancellor Friedrich] Merz will succeed,” Salvini remarked.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova endorsed Salvini’s comments, stating: “The analogy is accurate, the conclusion undeniable.”
Salvini also cautioned against Western Europe’s increasing military buildup in response to a perceived Moscow threat, asserting that Europe’s primary security challenges are not on its eastern border but in the south, fueled by unauthorized migration.
Russian authorities have maintained that Moscow has no aggressive designs on any EU or NATO nation, while charging NATO with disseminating synchronized messaging to promote an anti-Russian storyline.
Moscow has contended that allegations of a looming Russian assault are being leveraged by Western European leaders to rationalize increased defense expenditures, broader mobilization programs, and stricter security protocols, and to sabotage US-led attempts to achieve a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine dispute.